It’s hard to forget seeing Simon Cowell on TV for the first time. It was 2002 when the London-born TV talent show creator, producer and judge appeared on American Idol, offering his humorously blunt criticism of young singers who were auditioning to be stars.

But bluster aside, Simon, 56, has a serious eye for talent. Besides his nine seasons on Idol and his shows in England, Cowell developed more talent shows in America, including The X Factor (which spawned the hit band One Direction) and America’s Got Talent, which now airs in more than 165 countries around the world. As the 11th season of America’s Got Talent premieres on NBC on May 31 (at 8 p.m. ET), Cowell—who joins the AGT panel for the first time—tells what keeps us so glued to this kind of TV, as hopefuls of all ages put their singing, dancing, juggling, acrobatic, magic-trick, joke-telling, fire-eating and other stage-honed skills to the test.

So why do we love watching talent shows?

I’m going to have to take myself back a few years, when I was a kid. I actually can remember watching these shows when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I remember, funny enough, one particularly really bad act, which was a ventriloquist, and his puppet was some weird monkey. The judges said he was terrible, and he got really mad at them, and for some reason, that got really stuck in my head. It’s fascinating to watch. It’s sort of addictive.

Why are we so gripped while watching someone like that man with the monkey?

In this day of reality television, where 90 percent of it is scripted and faked, the irony is that reality TV has become the opposite: unreality TV. The difference in an audition is that you actually can’t fake it. If you’ve got to sing or if you’ve got an act, you have to be yourself. So [viewers are] watching someone vulnerable, who could change his or her life forever with one audition. What we did with Idol—I can remember pitching this to a British network—I said to them, “I’m going to show you something you’ve never seen before, where you’ll see what happens in an audition room.”

What do you think compels people to put their hearts and souls onstage for all of us to see?

Well, in essence, because of Facebook and YouTube, the whole world’s auditioning at the moment. You know, “Here’s my act on YouTube” or “Here’s my pictures on Instagram—like or dislike?” We’ve become quite extroverts. Everybody wants to be famous in his or her own way.

What do you think constitutes talent?

I find that very difficult to define. Having the ability to sing well is one thing. Charisma’s really important. But being remembered, I’d say, is probably the most important thing nowadays; you’ve got to have something people remember you by—which is what I think Susan Boyle had at that time. She had a great voice, but she had something people related to. There were some people, funny enough, that I worked with when the Susan Boyle clip came out, who acted like I’d committed murder. Like “Why would you want to sign someone like that?” and I’m thinking, Because people like her! The staff’s definition of talent was that everyone’s got to be perfect. And it’s not.

What are some of the most remarkable talents that you’ve seen?

On America’s Got Talent, the kids are so incredible—they’re fearless, much more so than adults. I don’t know what happened, but the adults come out shaking like silly! And then you’ve got these kids who come out and they’re confident and they’ve got quick answer-backs. And then I’ve seen some of the biggest bunches of weirdos ever and kind of thought, What makes you think this is a million-dollar-idea act? And then I realized things maybe are a bit more subjective than I thought. I love the idea that anyone can come on this show and, potentially, change his or her life.

What makes you want to seek out talent in people?

Any [talent] I’ve found that has been important in my life, I can remember when I discovered them for the first time, literally like it was yesterday. That is still a huge buzz when it happens. And then you want to do that again—and you want to do it again. The minute you lose that, it’s probably time to lose what you do. If I’m being honest with you, I’m not going to say every judge sitting on these shows is sitting there like me, praying that they’re going to find a superstar, because they’re not. For me, it actually really matters, because apart from what they’re paying me to be on the show, I win or fail depending on whether we find a star or not. Let me put it this way: They’re not waking up at three in the morning, going, “I had a really bad day—I didn’t find a star.” I do.

What is the hardest thing about being a judge on America’s Got Talent?

Well, there are times, if I’m being honest with you, when you’ve got an Eastern European balancing act, doing a triple thriller (or whatever they call them) and I’m thinking, I don’t really know much about that. Is that very good or not very good? But in a weird way, it does make it relatable to the audience at home, rather than having technical judges.

Are you always seeking out the best in people? Are you an optimist?

I do like positive people around me. Not people with their head in the skies who are just dreamers—that gets boring—but I do like people who believe you can make things happen. You need that kind of positivity around you. I don’t like gossiping. I can’t bear gossip. I can’t bear people who are looking to just find other people’s failing, or troll the internet looking to see if someone’s done badly.

Yet part of the entertainment on talent shows is also watching some people fail.

[Laughs] Does that make us really bad? When you do auditions in the real world, 99 percent of the people are just not going to be very good. So the odds aren’t great. And if you’re trying to create a show where everybody was perfect, I think it would be a very boring show.

Yeah, degrees of it. I think everyone’s got something. You take Madonna—she’s never going to say she’s the best singer in the world; she’s not. But her turn in life is managing to stay relevant for what, how many decades—’80s, ’90s, now? Four decades! That’s ridiculous! That’s a talent, to market her job.

What’s your talent?

I think I am good at finding talent. I’ve got a pretty good eye, a pretty good ear. And I can kind of see into the future a bit. I can see beyond what’s standing in front of me now.

Have you ever participated in a talent show, other than as a judge?

Never in a million, billion years. I think God had a word with me when I was very, very young and He said, “Stay this side of the desk.”

You never even performed as a kid? Just once?

Well, yeah, I did once perform in a play, myself and my brother. And we were so bad, we got written up in the local paper as two of the worst actors he’d ever seen! Because we laughed the entire way through the play. I just couldn’t stop laughing. And that was my one and only attempt. It was absolutely hilarious. Whatever it was, it was dreadful, and we were only doing it for fun, and I remember getting the review and bursting out laughing.

What are the key things you look for in a participant on a talent show?

It’s almost impossible to say in advance what you’re looking for. It’s much easier, honestly, to just completely open your mind, forget about what’s happening on the charts or in the world at the moment, and when someone comes in with something incredible, just go for it.

You’ve been known for being very blunt and to-the-point when you judge. But do you have a soft spot?

Yeah, I love animals. That’s my main thing. I don’t like bullies to animals or kids; I think that’s kind of a sickness. So when I meet someone who has done that, it repulses me. So I work a lot with animal charities.

Are there any tips you would give for someone who is thinking of preparing an act for a talent show?

Look at as many clips as possible on YouTube to see where it’s gone wrong and where it’s gone right. Mostly, I would not overthink it. Because if you’re good and if you’ve got a good judging panel, they’ll support your potential. So don’t overthink the first audition.

Beyond entertainment, what purpose does a show like America’s Got Talent serve?

Being inclusive, I think. Having as few rules as possible. Anyone is genuinely welcome. One of the things we were really keen on when America’s Got Talent got started was to put as few rules in it as possible. Not like, “You have to be this height or look this way.” We used our discretion to decide who we wouldn’t allow in, and everyone else is welcome to the party. Everyone comes in under equal footing and that makes it a good competition.

How do people’s tastes for TV talent differ among countries?

You’d be surprised at how similar the shows are around the world. We all seem to like and dislike the same things. I have seen stuff from many countries that I haven’t seen before here. There was this girl—if you go on Google, you can see it—she is a Ukrainian sand artist. It’s like an 11-minute clip, and it told the story of the Russian Revolution, and it’s absolutely amazing. That’s the cool thing about the show: You get all these incredible auditions from all the different countries, and the imagination that goes with that is unbelievable.

Is there anything new or different we should expect in this season of America’s Got Talent?

Well, ultimately, like we say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” More music acts are coming to the show this year, and that’s my number one priority—because I don’t believe we’ve attracted anywhere near the music talent a big show like this should do. I’m going to see if we can improve that.

Looking even further forward, what do you see for the potential future of talent shows, say, a hundred years from now?

I have a theory, and it’s going to sound a bit arrogant. But I’ve always said that the last show standing will be Got Talent. So I’m hopeful that you and I—against medical science—will be having this conversation again in about 150 years, and I think the last show standing will be that. I honestly do believe that.

AMG/Parade Digital

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